Box Score WACO, Texas – The No. 17/23-ranked West Virginia University women's basketball team suffered a 96-73 setback to No. 6/6 Baylor on Monday evening, in Waco Texas.
 
Sophomore guard Kirsten Deans led the Mountaineers in scoring, with 22 points. Deans was followed by  sophomore forward Esmery Martinez who put up 13 points and led the team on the glass, with six rebounds. Freshman guard Taziah Jenks put up her first points as a Mountaineer with seven.
 
Baylor opened the game on a 5-0 run, before the Mountaineers scored with 6:59 remaining in the first quarter. West Virginia then converted a pair of 3-pointers from redshirt senior guard Kysre Gondrezick and Deans and a fast-break score to jump out in front by one. Junior forward Kari Niblack then converted two free throws to extend WVU's lead to three points. The Mountaineers held the advantage all the way until the 3:02 mark of the first quarter, when the Lady Bears used a 6-0 run to close out the period and take a 17-14 lead into the second quarter.
 
West Virginia continued to trail through the opening minutes of the second quarter, but two free throws from sophomore guard Jayla Hemingway and a pair of buckets from Deans helped WVU tie the game with 6:41 remaining in the half. The Mountaineers continued their scoring run through the middle part of the quarter and took a five-point over Baylor, its largest of the half. 
 
The Lady Bears responded to West Virginia's scoring attack with a run of their own though, which began with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter. BU jumped out an 11-0 run over the next two minutes and took a six-point lead over WVU with 2:29 left in the half. Junior guard Jasmine Carson snuffed out the Lady Bears' offensive attack with a 3. Senior center Blessing Ejiofor tacked on two more scores before the end of the first half, but the Mountaineers trailed by six, as both teams headed to the locker rooms.
 
Niblack opened second-half scoring for West Virginia by netting a jumper, but Baylor led by double digits until the 7:43 mark of the third quarter. Deans then converted a 3-pointer and drew a foul on the shot. At the line, Deans sank her free throw to cut BU's lead to singles digits. The Mountaineers and Lady Bears traded scores over the next three minutes, as Baylor held a 56-49 lead at the media timeout.
 
Deans converted a basket on a fast break following the break, but Baylor once again jumped out to a 10-point lead. Deans then tacked on four free throws to cut into the deficit. West Virginia trailed, 65-57, at the end of the third quarter.
 
After Dijonai Carrington netted five points, West Virginia trailed by 13 to open the fourth quarter. The Lady Bears went on an 11-0 run opening the frame. Martinez netted a pair of free throws before freshman guard Taziah Jenks hit a two off a Baylor turnover at the 6:07 mark. Martinez made a jumper and a three to cut Baylor's lead to 13 but the Lady Bears came back with a pair of jumpers. After a few traded baskets, the Lady Bears held their lead for the remainder of the game, as West Virginia could not overcome the deficit.
 
The Mountaineers shot 26-of-64 (40.6%) from the field, including 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the 3-point range. WVU was 14-of-15 (93.3%) from the free-throw line, compared to Baylor's 21-of-30 (70%).
 
Baylor's offense was led by guard DiJonai Carrington, who paced the Lady Bears with 22 points. Carington and center Queen Egbo led the Lady Bears on the glass, tallying 10 rebounds each. 
 
Next up, West Virginia travels to Kansas City, Missouri, from March 11-14, for the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship. For the second consecutive year, the event will be held at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. Matchups and game times will be announced in the coming days.